This page was published under a previous government and is available for archival and research purposes.
Specialized professional services
The Specialized Professional Services program in the Ministry of Labour provides technical support and expertise to regional staff in the industrial, construction, mining and health care programs in five key areas:
- ergonomics
- occupational hygiene
- engineering
- radiation protection
- emergency management
Ergonomics
In addition to supporting the ministry’s general inspectorate, ministry ergonomists conduct proactive ergonomics inspections. In 2016-17, the focus of these proactive inspections was on:
- workplaces with a history of musculoskeletal disorders
- workplaces that have been visited before during proactive initiatives
- clothing and textile industries
- delivery drivers
| Program activities | Number |
|---|---|
| Field visits | 509 |
| Workplaces visited | 365 |
| Orders and requirements issued | 799 |
| Stop work orders | 35 |
| Orders and requirements per field visit | 1.57 |
| Orders and requirements per workplace visited | 2.19 |
Resources
- Prevent Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) at Construction Projects
- Preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) at Industrial Workplaces
- Ergonomic Handbook for the Clothing Industry
Occupational hygiene
On February 15, 2015, the federal Hazardous Products Act and regulations came into force and, on July 1, 2016, Ontario’s Regulation 860 WHMIS was enacted. Since that time, occupational hygienists conducted an initiative to promote and enforce the regulation, as it applies to both WHMIS 1988 and 2015.
Between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017, occupational hygienists conducted proactive visits to various sector workplaces. The goal was to ensure compliance with WHMIS requirements for:
- labels
- safety data sheets and material safety data sheets
- worker education
- communication
| Program activities | Number |
|---|---|
| Field visits | 407 |
| Workplaces visited | 327 |
| Orders and requirements issued | 289 |
| Stop work orders | 0 |
| Orders and requirements per field visit | 0.71 |
| Orders and requirements per workplace visited | 0.88 |
Resources
Radiation protection
Radiation protection officers conduct proactive radiation safety inspections and conduct field visits in response to workplace concerns involving ionizing and ion-ionizing radiation. In 2016-17, the radiation protection officers’ inspections focused on:
- workplaces that have outstanding rejected applications for installation of an X-ray source
- dental X-ray source installations in open treatment areas at veterinary facilities
- workplaces that have the highest personal X-ray exposures, based on information supplied by the national dose registry database, the repository for occupational X-ray exposures
- X-ray source installations that have never been inspected or have not been inspected for at least six years
| Program activities | Number |
|---|---|
| Field visits | 539 |
| Workplaces visited | 392 |
| Orders and requirements issued | 721 |
| Stop work orders | 19 |
| Orders and requirements per field visit | 1.34 |
| Orders and requirements per workplace visited | 1.84 |